Best Time to Book a Cruise According to 11 Travel Experts
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The best deals tend to crop up throughout the period between mid-November and Mid-March. There is no guaranteed, secret formula for scoring a beverage package or balcony upgrade, but savvy planners should consider booking an adventure with Royal Caribbean during Wave Season. Running from January to March, we offer booking incentives that can include onboard credits (or spending money), discounts and added-value offers.
What time do cruise ships board?
September can be a good middle ground, because crowds will thin out (as school is back in session) but the weather will still be warm. There’s also a chance to see the start of the leaves changing towards the end of the month, though it varies from year-to-year and is never guaranteed. To avoid crowds, choose a voyage during the shoulder season in April, May, or September. The least rainy month is May, while the warmest (and busiest) will be July and August. Certain times of the Alaska cruise season also increase your chances of seeing wildlife and/or the Norther Lights.
How Much Cruise Lines Spend on Food (Less Than You Think?)
People often wonder if there is a specific day of the week when cruise prices consistently drop. Unfortunately, fares don't rise and fall on a set schedule, and it's impossible to predict when they'll change. One 2016 study by CruiseWatch.com found that, on average, cruise fares dropped the most on Thursdays. These data points are constantly fluctuating so your best bet is to track fares throughout the week. It's the last date that undecided travelers can cancel without penalty.
Best time to cruise the Mediterranean to avoid crowds
Since the cruise is scheduled regularly for more than a year into the future, we can compare the price of the cruise now with the price of the same cruise at the same time next year. July and August are the hottest months with high humidity, but it's a great time to hit the beach with water temperatures around 81 degrees. The summer months are also the best time to see several species of whales off the coast of Newfoundland, including humpback whales. The Panama Canal cruise season picks up at the end of the rainy season, so you'll find fewer tourists during October and November when the weather is still wet.
When to Book Mediterranean Cruises
Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. He has become one of the foremost expert on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
When school is back in session, it’s much more difficult for many people to set sail. That means cruise lines offer cheaper cruises in an effort to get more people on the ship during these times. So you’ll find the cheapest time to book a cruise is in the fall and winter.
Mediterranean
All this talk of the best time to book a cruise raises the question of how far in advance you should book. The key to the answer is recognizing that cruise lines adjust pricing as cabins sell out (or fail to do so) on any given ship and itinerary. If you want to book a solo or family cabin on a Mediterranean cruise in July, you likely want to book much earlier than January for the most availability and the best prices. As I said earlier, great sales and deals can pop up year-round, including on other holidays such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. When it comes to the best time to book a cruise, many people think that they can save a lot of money by booking their trip at the right time. For example, if you book early in the year you might save money compared to booking in the height of summer.
The bigger issue is there may simply not be a last-minute cruise deal to be had. Cruise ships are sailing full, and people are booking cruises earlier and in more numbers than ever before. Equally importantly, you'll have to pay the entire fare at once, because cruises booked less than 90 days before sailing require deposit and the full fare to be paid at the same time. If you’re extremely flexible, booking last minute can save you 60% or more, as cruise lines are desperate to fill empty cabin space. But generally speaking, it’s best to book over a year in advance during the November to March sale season. You can book a cruise anywhere from 18 months to one week in advance.
Best Time to Cruise Hawaii: May - September
Now, it might be the itinerary I'm looking at won't be popular, and the cruise line will lower the fare closer to sailing. Or, the itinerary will sell well, and prices will only go up from the original price. I can't know for sure, though I can guess that peak-season trips to popular destinations on a newer cruise ship are more likely to sell quickly. Christmas and New Year's cruises, top suites and limited specialty cabins (such as solo and family cabins) also tend to sell out early.
Sometimes you may be forced to choose between the cheapest possible fare and one that offers a greater total value, given the included perks. Knowing when cruise lines will likely run promotions will help you strategize, but sales can pop up anytime — and not every promotion offers the cheapest fares. Therefore, cruise lines often offer their best fares when bookings open to incentivize travelers to book early.
With a little strategizing, you can save money and get the most value for your dollar. If that sounds like too much math homework, I recommend that you call a travel agent. A cruise-knowledgeable travel adviser can help you plan your trip and determine if the current pricing is good or if you should hold out for a deal. The exception is world cruises (and other highly anticipated and publicized short-season sailings, like Great Lakes cruises). World cruises have sold out within hours, even with price tags of $150,000 per couple.
For example, a seven-night round-trip cruise in November or early December 2024 with Norwegian Cruise Line starts at $1,649. Fares for seven-night cruises in May 2024 are as low as $499 per person on an MSC cruise sailing round-trip from Miami and even less expensive at $399 per person come September. Some of the Caribbean's nicest weather is in May, at the start of shoulder season.
Now is the cheapest time to book a cruise - WRAL News
Now is the cheapest time to book a cruise.
Posted: Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The best time to cruise Australia is from late November to March, when late spring crests into Australia's summer months. Major ports of call like Sydney, Adelaide and Perth will be quite warm and sunny, while Cairns in the northeast -- the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef -- will be steamy and hot. The cheapest time for Caribbean cruises runs from late summer into fall, when hurricane season is at its peak. If this is the only chance you have to cruise, keep in mind that itineraries can change or be canceled depending on the weather. There are finite dates for Christmas sailings and New Year’s Eve, so plan on booking at least one year to 18 months in advance.
The Bermuda cruise season generally runs from late March into early November. For mild weather, cheaper cruise fares, and fewer crowds, try to sail right at the beginning of the season in April or May. If you don’t mind spring break crowds, Good Friday and Easter is a fun time to visit Bermuda as there are lots of fun treats to eat and a Good Friday kite flying event at Horseshoe Bay Beach. Cruise lines lose money on empty cabins, so they’d rather sell discounted fares than accept a less-than-full ship. Tourists flock to Europe in the summer, but the best time for a European cruise is in the late spring and early fall. Temperatures are more pleasant and the crowds of tourists tend to much smaller than the peak summer months.
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